What God Hates

One Sunday when our son was in his late teens he visited another church. He came home and told us that God hates wicked people. We tried to straighten out this new teaching to “God hates the sin but not the sinner.”

Having gotten a late start on studying the Bible, I had always believed that hatred is a sin. God doesn’t hate so we shouldn’t hate.

I was wrong and the people who repeat this are not teaching “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:26-27).

Our son quickly pointed out that this not what God says in Psalm 5:5-6: “The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”

Clearly God did not separate the sin and sinner. In His hatred He destroys workers of iniquity.” The ESV translates it as “evil doers.”

God has more to say about His hatred of people and things in other passages.

• He hates it when people, especially His people, worship idols (Deuteronomy 12:31, 16:22).
• He hates it when people sacrifice their children, as they do in abortion today (Deuteronomy 12:31).
• He hates the wicked and people who do violence (Psalm 11:5).
• Proverbs 6:16 – 19 give us a list of “six things that the LORD hates, Yes, seven that are an abomination to Him.” They are:  A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, (18)  A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, (19) A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

This list in Proverbs should shake us to our core!

1. A proud look is indicative of a deeper pride that puts our own ways above the ways of God. This violates the 1st Commandment to have no other gods before Him.
2. A lying tongue. This needs no explanation. God expects us to speak the truth. This is seen in the 9^th Commandment not to bear a false witness.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood. Most of us think we get a pass on this one because we have not killed anyone. But, we are also responsible to prevent others from shedding innocent blood (Proverbs 24:11). Think about abortion. Have we stood against it? Do those whom we interact with know that abortion is murder according to the scriptures? Do we agree to legislation that allows babies to be murdered up to a certain time in a pregnancy?
4. A heart that devises wicked plans may be anyone from a human trafficker to a person who steals from his employer or bears false witness against someone else (Exodus 23:7).
5. Feet that are swift in running to evil. There are people who are attracted to evil, people who see it and move toward it. This would seem to imply they know it is evil when they run. Think pornography, sex before marriage, or being enticed to steal someone else’s property with persuasive words.
6. A false witness who speaks lies. The 9^th Commandment says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” This is an accusation against a neighbor that brings consequences that he does not deserve.
7. And one who sows discord among brethren. Discord is sown by whom Matthew Henry labels “tale bearers and slanderers.” God loves unity in the body, people who deliberately sow discord among His people are hated by God.

So, regardless of what we were taught, there are people who will experience the hatred of God as well His hatred of the sin we commit. Our responsibility is to believe this and teach it to others.

God is love and in that love He will protect His people from evil and that requires that He take a stance against the people who are wicked and plot evil. His people, though may not just sit back and hide from the evil. We must stand against it ourselves.

Ephesians 6:10-11 say, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Paul goes on at the end of that passage (Ephesians 6:20) to say that he is an ambassador for Christ, “that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Are we His ambassadors, boldly standing for the Word of God?